Few have the courage to talk openly to a dying person about what matters most to them. That’s strange, given people in the terminal phase have so many last things they want to say. We decided to break with tradition and share The Conversation’s thoughts on the matter. They published a note pad so their readers could be better prepared if the Covid calls. There’s a link to it below.
A Proxy Could Help Us Be Better Prepared If Covid Calls
We can’t control what happens in an isolation ward, when we are without family and friends. But we can appoint a healthcare proxy in advance to speak for us, when we cannot make decisions for ourselves. The Conversation note pad provides spaces to enter our critical intentions while we can.
It’s important to have what their blog calls ‘serious illness conversations’. Most of us imagine we will live forever. However, we also need to be prepared if the Covid-19 calls, so doctors will know when we might wish to be allowed to continue our journey. This may sound a bit morbid, but we won’t have the option at that defining moment.
Discuss What Matters Most To You and Family and Friends
I know this conversation won’t be easy for a baby boomer like me. But I do appreciate The Conversation’s advice to take control with an agenda. They suggest discussing practical things like finances, the pets and the home first.
However, it’s equally important to be better prepared if the Covid calls at a deeper level. Here we think of fundamental questions concerning how much we want to know about our condition, and whether we wish to be consulted about our treatment.
Of course, this may hopefully all turn out to be unnecessary. But at least we had a plan and were better prepared in the event our time had arrived. That’s because our loved ones would know what to say, if the Covid left more than a calling card that time.
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Preview Image: Being Prepared for Covid-19
